Philosophical Dictionary

An irreverent look at 18th century intellectualism by one of the masters of satire. Apologetic theology never had it so rough. ( )

Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary is not what one would necessarily expect of a 'philosophical' work and it is certainly not a dictionary in the common understanding of the term; it is in fact an anthology of short pieces on an impressively wide array of subjects. (I mention this for the benefit of those totally unfamiliar with the work).

That brief clarification aside, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the pieces contained within the 400 pages of the Theodore Besterman translation. Having previously read the Penguin Great Ideas edition ('Miracles and Idolatry', comprised of a selection of 28 of the pieces) I had assumed that the rest of the work would pale in comparison – Penguin would surely have selected only the 28 best bits? But no! I am pleased to report that although Penguin had indeed selected the 28 most entertaining examples for their 'Great Ideas' series, the rest of the work is of equally high quality. Voltaire's mastery of subtle (and not so subtle) irony is both wonderful and devastating; his courage in publishing is entirely admirable; his wit is effective and endearing; and his high-grade intellect is undeniably brilliant. All these personal characteristics and more combine to produce an altogether truly great work that I am sure I shall return to for both entertainment and enlightenment.

Peut-etre suffise cette: " La Foi consiste à croire, non ce qui semble vrai, mais ce qui semble faux à notre entendement." ( )

Philosophical satire at its finest.

This is the third work of Voltaire's that I have read, the other two being Candide and Letters on England, and while I knew what to expect, it contains many unexpected and radical points (for a work of the 18th c. that is). Despite being a philosophical dictionary, most of the entries pertained to religion. It reminded me of David Hume's Writings on Religion. Concerning religion, Voltaire was an atheist and addresses many of what he believes to be the faults of established religious institutions, including those of the East (which he knows very little of and therefore are discussed only briefly). At first Voltaire may appear to be anti-Semitic, but trust me, no religion is safe from his criticism, especially Catholicism. But the reader must also know that Voltaire does not attack blindly. He praises the virtues, morals and benefits that religion provides for mankind, and in turn condemns religious enthusiasm, superstition and fanaticism. Which I think is something that most readers can agree with. What I didn't expect were arguments such as that animals are not without knowledge and feelings and that the good actions of pagans of antiquity are just as virtuous as those of monotheists. There are people even today who would not agree with this, and the reader realizes why Voltaire's work was shamelessly and wrongly forbidden and burned. Other surprising arguments include that woman should not be subservient to man and that the accusation of "idolater" is nonsensical. But it is not all issues of religion, Voltaire also gives his opinion on Freedom of Thought, Friendship, Love, Beauty and Limits of the Human Mind. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this work, but I warn the potential reader to be honest with himself/herself. If you cannot handle religious criticism, than I suggest putting off this work until you are comfortable enough to read with an open-mind. ( )